Food for 9 Billion: South Asia sneak preview

Happy new year! I’m just back from South Asia, where I looked at grassroots efforts to prepare for climate change in Bangladesh and avert a water crisis in India. These are for future stories in the “Food for 9 Billion” series. Here are a few snapshots:

Above, villagers in Lapuria in the Dudu district of Rajasthan, India, have raised the water table about 200 feet using rainwater harvesting and water conservation techniques.

Rajendra Singh (left) is known as “the Water Man” throughout India for his work restoring watersheds. In his home area, he has helped bring seven dead rivers back to life.

Villagers in southern Bangladesh build an earthen dam to hold back tidal surges. When a recent surge destroyed a nearby dam, the community offered its labor to build another structure.

Protesters in Satkhira, Bangladesh, demand that the government clear waterways and help drain flooded fields. Waterlogging and salinity are expected to increase as the climate changes.